Lensbaby Edge 80 Quick Review

Lensbaby is a company that's resolutely pursued its own path since it first started making 'selective focus' optics for SLRs about 8 years ago. Its lenses offer a distinctive low-fi aesthetic, with a 'sweet spot' of sharp focus that can be moved around the frame. Over the years its product range has expanded and increased in sophistication, but the basic aim has been the same: to provide a creative alternative for photographers who sometimes find technically-perfect images to be uninspiring.

By its very nature, this approach has made Lensbaby's products somewhat niche in appeal. But the company's latest optic, the Edge 80, may well see many more photographers sit up and take notice. It's an 80mm F2.8 telephoto lens that's optically-corrected across the whole frame, and designed to be used in the company's flexible lens bodies more-or-less like a conventional tilt lens. This means it gives effects somewhat similar to the 'Miniature' modes seen in many current cameras, but with a far greater degree of creative control and flexibility. Its short-telephoto focal length means it's particularly well-suited to close-ups, abstracts and portraits.

The Lensbaby 'Optic Swap' System

The Edge 80 joins an extensive system based around Lensbaby's 'Optic Swap' concept. Optical units fit into flexible lens bodies that mount onto the camera, and come in a variety of types. Our favourites are the Composer and the similar but more-refined (and expensive) Composer Pro, both of which use a ball-and-socket design with separate tilt and focus controls. For more information on how the Composer Pro works, click here to read our review with the Sweet 35 optic.

The Edge 80 fits into Lensbaby's flexible lens body units such as the Composer and Composer Pro, and can be interchanged with other optical units such as the Double Glass (left) and Sweet 35 (right).

This is the Edge 80 in the Composer Pro body and mounted on a Canon EOS 600D. In contrast to a conventional tilt lens, movements are completely 'freeform' with no click-stops or positioning scales.

Older lenses such as the Double Glass optic need to be removed from the body unit using a specific tool that's incorporated into the base of their supplied protective plastic carry-case. However the Edge 80, like the Sweet 35, can be removed and exchanged quite straightforwardly by hand - you just push down and twist, rather like a child-proof bottle cap.

The Edge 80 is not compatible with the 'Composer with Tilt Transformer' for NEX and Micro Four Thirds cameras, but this doesn't really matter as these offer similar tilt movements with any Nikon lens. And while it physically fits into the 'Scout' unit, its fixed-body design rather negates the point.

The Edge 80 optic

The Edge 80 is, essentially, an 80mm F2.8 lens that has a bayonet mount at the back to fit into Lensbaby's body units. Optically it's a 5-element, 4-group design with a built-in 12-blade circular diaphragm that stops down to F22. It has one notable trick - a built-in 'extension tube' so you can pull the lens forward in its mount for closer focusing down to about 48cm / 19".

This is the Edge 80 optic itself. The large ring around the barrel controls the aperture, with the large white index mark indicating the set position. There are marks and click-stops at whole stop intervals, but the aperture can be freely set to intermediate positions.

The lens rotates freely within the barrel of the Composer (Pro), so you'll probably want to position the scale at the top so you can see it most easily.

The filter thread accepts 46mm accessories.

The aperture diaphragm has no fewer than 12 curved blades, so it stays circular at all settings (here it's at F5.6). In principle this should help give attractively-blurred backgrounds.

There's no electronic coupling between the lens and camera body, which means that the aperture you've used doesn't appear in your images' EXIF data.

As usual the lens is focused using the large ring on the Composer's body. Using this alone, the minimum focus is about 1m. The optical unit can also be pulled forward in its mount for closer focusing, down to about 48cm / 19" (and a little closer when tilted).

Using the Edge 80 is reasonably straightforward. The aperture is set using a ring on the optical unit, and the diaphragm stops down directly as you turn the ring. This can make the viewfinder view relatively dark, and at small apertures you're generally best off switching over to live view (if your camera offers it). It's normally easiest to set the camera to aperture priority and shoot away, letting your camera choose the shutter speed, but you can equally use program and manual modes.

When using a Composer body you focus using the large ring at the front of the lens body, and can tilt the lens freely using the ball-and-socket joint. It's not always entirely easy to see exactly what's going on in the viewfinder, so again live view can be an invaluable aid to composition. The conventional metering systems of SLRs also get confused when the lens is tilted, so you have to be prepared to watch your exposure as you shoot and apply compensation when necessary. Again, most cameras meter much better in live view.

Comments

Tested it it isn't sharp within the plane of focus vowed at 100%. Is it the copy or it's really just not tack sharp? I'm getting a bit of cloudy ghosting at the edges of the sweet spot. I used a d750 and my older composer with it.

If you were starting from scratch then you would need a composer -ranges from £167 to £365 ($265 - $580)- depending on whether or you go for the basic body and double glass lens or pro body with sweet 35 optic.

In the UK if you want to get the Edge 80 kit your pocket will be between £468 & £664 lighter ($740 & $1050)

Even if you already have a composer kit you're still paying 60% more for the optic in the UK than you would in the states.

I'm a lensbaby fan. I had the original, the 2.0, now have the composer and I think they are great. The extreme cost of the new optic and the disparity between US and UK prices really really put me off the product and the brand.

This Lensbaby Edge 80 is awesome! Love the creative possibilities! The tilt shot of the Olympus 35 SP is fantastic! Have to make similar product shots occasionally - this may be the way to go! The Lensbaby 'sweetspot' was never my thing... I'll order a Composer (pro)/Edge 80 asap.

I picked mine up yesterday. It's great fun and will give me another element of creativity in the field. For me, being able to compose a shot using tilt in the field is an advantage. And since it's part of a system, the cost is incremental. Plus, the 12 curved blades create a luscious bokeh.

I've had a setup like this for years now. Composer with a Schneider-Kreuznach 80/2.8 enlarger lens. It's nice to see Lensbaby offering a true tilt-option without the sweet spot (it always looked like Photoshop radial blur anyway).

I purchased a Sweet 35 some time ago and I returned it. It was okay..., but for the same money I could get a like-new/used Nikkor 50mm AF-S f1.4 and opted to do just that.The new Edge 80 has me intrigued again.., but after contacting Lensbaby, you cannot buy this optic with the required body attachment, so you HAVE to buy a composer or composer pro too. Which really makes this $300 lens a $550-$700 investment.Again, as many have pointed out.., this is Capitalism at it's finest, anyone that has owned one knows that the materials and technology (or lack thereof) just simply do not justify this high cost.., yet I am still intrigued and I'm sure thats exactly what they're banking on. - ;o)

Their customer service told me otherwise. They said the Composer Pro together with the Edge 80 is $520, but only by phone. The Composer Pro with Sweet 35 is $400 online. The Sweet 35 costs $180, and the Edge 80 costs $300. So they don't even charge anything extra for customizing the package, just the exact price difference for the optic.

I'm curious as to who buys lens baby products, because all I've seen from them are cheap gimmicks that have no photographic value at all. These kinds of gimmicky effects can be done in photoshop anyway, so why would you waste your money buying this junk?

I use my DSLR for video and these effects would not be easy to replicate in the likes of After Effects or motion, a single frame's fine, big artefacts occur when trying to fake these type of effects in post.

There are also those who want to shoot rather than sit at a PC (I don't mind, but some do) if your client is sitting over your shoulder it's good to show them the effect in camera, live as the shoot takes place.

I can see why these products aren't for everybody, as a matter of taste or whatever, but I'm glad the company are there, doing -to my mind- interesting things.

The goodwill kind of runs out when it comes to cost though. I've tried lensbaby and intro2020 (uk importer) and have yet to receive an answer to the issue of UK price.

By the time you add up the cost of composer mount (bought only with another lens - ranges between £170-£350 depending on spec) and this optic it becomes very very expensive for a fun lens.

Repost: Add the "online" possibilities! I'm not a lensbaby user but I understand that, when you post an image it is just that: you have to work with "that" image; when getting the effect "online" while shooting you can modify the scene so it works better with the desired effect.

No, it is gimmicky that you are forced into buying a double glass or sweet 35 optic that you might not want in order to able to use the edge 80. Add that to the 1.5x more that we in the uk will also have to pay on top the us price and the concept wears thin.

It's part of a SYSTEM, so if you bought into the system then the cost is incremental. Also, try calling Lensbaby about buying a Composer or Composer Pro without the optics. I did that with the Scout. I bought the fisheye before they made the Scout mount. I called and they sold me the Scout mount without optics. They may do the same for one of the Composers.

Lensbaby lets you make custom orders of a lens body and optic if you call them. They will sell you the Composer Pro with the Edge 80 for $520 (and other lens body combinations as well probably), instead of a lens body with the packaged optic and then the Edge 80 itself as well. So all they do is charge you the extra cost of the Edge 80 over the prepackaged optic, in this example, the Sweet Optic, which is a $120 difference (Sweet 35 is $180, Edge 80 is $300).

Mr. Westlake made many references in his article to this lens tilting, but not a single reference to it shifting. You decided to call him a "dumb tech reporter" anyway. That is the part that I disliked.

Anything that Lensbaby does can be easily and totally done much cheaper in post and with better quality if you use decent ordinary lens. And you don't have to toil manually in PS (though it isn't hard). There are many plugins that can simulate free form tilt/shift and selective focus. Heck, on iPhone and Android there are hordes of apps doing same thing.

The only Lensbaby advantage non reproduceable in post I see is to use movements to level architectural perspective which is main application of the classical T/S lens. Not sure if this even can be done reliably with Lensbabies since they lack precise controls and sharp end-to-end optics.

You're missing the point: the fun aspect of shooting with a Lensbaby in real life, in real time. I use an (older) Lensbaby 2.0, which is a pre-optic swap model similar to the current Muse. It's when you are looking at the world while bending the lens and reacting in the moment to what you experience, that leads you to make the photos you do. You can do lots of great things in post-, and pre-visualize what you will do later while shooting, but it is a different experience. Post is just that, post. Now is now.With the 2.0, you can also force it into a slight shift position with a strong hand, as there is nthing but air behind the lens, unlike the housing employed in the newer optic swap style.

The lens baby will run rings around anything that you Photoshop or attempt in post production. WHY? Simply because it has a bit of magic attached to it. All your photo shopping is planned and will be as boring as you are. Lens Baby will have bokeh or softening that your eye didn’t see and most important a look that is not planned but spontaneous. Using this purely manual lens will also increase your skills. So be a devil – go out and try one – have some fun instead of sitting behind a computer screen doing endless masks and blurring.

Add the "online" possibilities! I'm not a lensbaby user but I understand that, when you post an image it is just that: you have to work with "that" image; when getting the effect "online" while shooting you can modify the scene so it works better with the desired effect. (I repeated this answer in another post.)

Spoken like someone who have never used a Lensbaby product. Image processing to make an approximate simulated effect of something is not as good as the effect itself, the same way artificial guacamole-flavored dip is not guacamole.

Maybe you should give up photography and do everything in software - after all, a digital image is just a bunch of pixels, and computers can generate those for you...

No they didn't, the Nikon ones for example are very sharp, even wide open, they give you much more control over tilt (and they give you shift, which is a completely different type of movement) and they have electronic aperture control so you don't have to compose stopped down...

Try taking a landscape with the whole view in focus or architecture with straight buildings then tell us that this replaces TS lenses.

It looks like a nice lens. I personally won't buy it, but it's nice for those who love soft, selective focus (the bokeh is very smooth looking! 12 ROUNDED aperture blades, cool!). It's a niche market, so that means not everyone would want it, or can afford it, but there are those who do!

Come on guys, it's Valentine's Day. A little less hate and grumpiness is good for a change.

hummm....Pentax already has a shifting sensor in the K-5. The body uses sensor-shift for image stabilization, and Pentax has utilized the moving sensor in some innovative ways. The sensor shifts in 2 ways that I know of (may be others I don't know about); 1.) it shifts to level a slightly unlevel scene, & 2.) using a dedicated GPS unit it can shift to follow stars for astro-photography - now that's cool. Pentax technology is a bit of an unknown to most folks - it's a pleasant surprise to most.

Lensbaby is - and has always been - about selective focus. Shift is about perspective control, which is an entirely different concept; classically the correction of converging verticals when using a wideangle lens. Likewise tilt movements on TS lenses have traditionally been used to increase DOF rather than decrease it - precisely the opposite of what Lensbaby is aiming for.

Few folk own a TS lens, those who do really really need them and will buy the best, not this. The rest will rent when required. Folk wanting the occassional toytown effect are not going to spend this kind of money.

So who will buy it?

Especially in the EU/UK where the price in dollars is usually the price in euros or pounds making these expensive prices 1.6x more expensive.

It's also a little tele for APS_C users wanting a portrait or toytown lens.

As much as I'm taken with this little optic I think my money too is on the arsat.

I'm particularly interested in the "Sweet 35", but there is no way I'll buy the lens at the current price when the same money can get me so much more. That said, its a good price if you're after that kind of tilt lens.

At least you can buy the sweet 35 as a kit with composer body (albeit the more expensive composer pro body) if you are buying from scratch you need to buy a composer with double optic, then then the sweet 35 on top of that.

It becomes very expensive.

I would hire a tilt lens, I would maybe even hire a lensbaby with edge 80, would I be able to justify buying one.... hmm hmm hmm.

It depends on them getting the UK price right. I already have a composer.

It's a lens SYSTEM. So yes, if you haven't bought into the system then it is pricier. But as part of a system it is an incremental expense. I picked this lens up yesterday and have started experimenting with it. It's great fun and offers creativity. I'm looking forward to publishing work with this soon.

Maybe not a cheaper price but you could I've seen a couple of used Nikon 28mm Shift lens for around £450 or $780 dollars. Looking at the purchase price, image quality and resale value, why would you buy the Lensbaby over the true Nikon optic if you wanted a proper shift lens?

@JasonReplica - "why would you buy the Lensbaby over the true Nikon optic if you wanted a proper shift lens" - obviously you wouldn't, because the Lensbaby is a tilt lens. You can't replace an 80mm tilt lens with a 28mm shift, or vice versa. They're totally different things.

I'd be interested in the Edge 80, and the Composer pro, I don't have any lens baby bodies yet, so it does get expensive, but on the other hand the whole system has alot to offer, I'm an experimental type, and I'm sure I'd likely expand the system with time.

Great idea, and after doing more research on the net, I see the Edge 80 is really a well made capable optic. I'm very tempted. I want selective focus, and I'm not big on Photoshop at present so this would be useful to me.